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There must have been something special in American water during the 1910s, something that allowed an unusual number of the children born during the decade to develop into violin prodigies of extraordinary gifts: Yehudi Menuhin and Ruggiero Ricci come straight to mind, and of course Isaac Stern (who was not really a prodigy as such, but why quibble?), and then, a minute later, the lesser-known but equally-brilliant Oscar Shumsky, born in 1917 and active as a performer all the way up into the 1990s. With this group of young American violinists, the North America made its first true bid for musical equality with the First World. When Shumsky passed on in July 2000, one of the last remaining links (they are growing ever more precious) to a beautiful bygone era was lost -- but not, thanks to modern recording technology and a class of distinguished pupils, forgotten.

Shumsky was born in Philadelphia, PA, to a Russian immigrant family on March 23, 1917. Early lessons on the violin were fully absorbed, and, at Leopold Stokowski's invitation, Shumsky appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Josef Suk's Fantasy for violin and orchestra (or, according to alternate accounts, in Mozart's Violin Concerto No.5!) at the tender age of 8. During the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s, Shumsky studied with a pair of the finest teachers in the world: Leopold Auer (teacher of, among other distinguished pupils, the great Jascha Heifetz) and Efrem Zimbalist (a great violinist, who is nevertheless better known today as the father of the Hollywood personage by the same name). Shumsky joined Toscanini's NBC Orchestra just before the outbreak of World War II and stayed with it for about three years, all the while working to build a solo career and also playing with the Primrose String Quartet. He taught at one time or another at many schools, including the Peabody Conservatory, the Juilliard School, and the Curtis Institute. In the 1950s he began adding appearances as a conductor to his résumé. His solo career was not a particularly steady one -- he all but ceased giving concerts in the 1950s and only took up an active schedule again when he was in his sixties!

Shumsky's playing was distinguished by a velvety sonority (partly the product of the fine 1715 Stradivarius violin, the "ex-Rode," that he usually played) that nevertheless was wholly capable of steel-rimmed force when need be, and also by a refinement of manner that, while doing little to make his name one widely known to the general public, endeared him to serious music lovers around the world. Of his many recordings, the complete set of Mozart violin sonatas that he made with Artur Balsam is of special value.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is one of Scotland's "Big Five" National Performing Arts Companies, along with the Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera, National Theatre of Scotland, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra gives a regular series of concerts in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and other Scottish cities but does not claim any one location as its home. It also gives regular concerts throughout the Scottish Highlands and Islands, as well as in Europe, Asia, and the U.S.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1974. It is made up of around 30 regular players, though its number can vary according to a given work's instrumental demands. The orchestra's first principal conductor was Roderick Brydon, who served from 1974 until 1983. Jukka-Pekka Saraste was the principal conductor from 1987 until 1991, and he was succeeded by Ivor Bolton from 1994 until 1996. Charles Mackerras held the position of principal guest conductor from 1992 to 1995, when he was named conductor laureate, a title he held until his death in 2010. Mackerras made a number of highly successful recordings with the orchestra, including the Brahms symphonies and five Mozart operas; many of the ensemble's greatest successes came under Mackerras' baton, at least in the recording venue. Mackerras' recording of Mozart's last four symphonies with the orchestra received numerous awards, including the BBC Music Magazine Disc of the Year in 2009.

Joseph Swensen succeeded Bolton in 1996 and led the Scottish Chamber Orchestra as principal conductor until 2005 when he was named conductor emeritus, a position he still held in the early 2020s. Robin Ticciati was named principal conductor in 2009 and served until 2018. That year, Maxim Emelyanychev made his debut with the orchestra when he stepped in as a last-minute substitute for Ticciati. Owing to his debut, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra announced Emelyanychev as its next principal conductor, assuming the post in 2019.

The repertory of the orchestra is quite varied, encompassing the works of Mozart and Haydn, as well as of Prokofiev and Peter Maxwell Davies. The orchestra has commissioned a number of works from the latter composer, including ten so-called Strathclyde Concertos. Other composers who have received commissions from the orchestra include Einjuhani Rautavaara, Judith Weir, Mark-Anthony Turnage, and many others. Among the orchestra's notable guest conductors are Andrew Litton, Nicholas McGegan, and Frans Brüggen. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra has recorded for Telarc, Delos, Linn, and other labels. The group frequently performs with its adjunct organization, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus, which was founded in 1991. In 2020, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra was heard on a pair of Linn albums: symphonic music by Bizet and Gounod and piano concertos by Mozart. ~ Robert Cummings & Keith Finke

Yan-Pascal Tortelier is among the finest conductors emerging in the last quarter of the twentieth century.

He comes from an eminent musical family: His father was cellist Paul Tortelier (1914-1990). Yan-Pascal studied violin and piano and began studying harmony and counterpoint with Nadia Boulanger. Of his violin studies at the Paris Conservatoire he says he "thinks he reached a high standard" but "couldn't quite make it." In fact, he won First Prize in violin at the Conservatory at age 14 and at the same age made his debut as a soloist with the London Philharmonic in Brahms' Double Concerto (1962).

He took conducting studies with Franco Ferrara in the Accademia Chigiana in Siena in 1973. He began guest conducting and in 1974 was appointed associate conductor of the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, remaining in that position through the season ending in 1983. He also conducted opera performances in Toulouse. He was principal conductor and artistic director of the Ulster Orchestra (Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1989-1992). In 1990 he was named principal conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, effective at the start of the 1992 season, remaining in that position until 2002. As such, he frequently appeared leading live concerts on the BBC from that orchestra's home at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, as well as at annual performances at the Henry Woods "Proms" Concerts. In 1995, he took it on a very successful tour of the U.S. to celebrate the orchestra's 60th anniversary season.

Tortelier also guest conducts widely, appearing at some of the world's leading orchestras. His first appearance in the U.S. was in 1985, with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. In the early part of 2000 his scheduled guest appearances included concerts with Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony. From 2005 to 2008, Tortelier was the principal guest conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and served as principal conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra in Brazil.

He records exclusively for Chandos Records, which has released performances with the BBC Philharmonic and the Ulster Orchestra, included complete orchestral works of Debussy and Ravel. The later series included Tortelier's own orchestration of Ravel's Trio. With the BBC Philharmonic Tortelier has worked on complete cycles of music by Roussel and Dutilleux, and has also recorded works by Lutoslawski, Fauré, and Dukas, including two discs that won the prestigious Diapason d'Or award.